Patrick Beverley chose Bulls over Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Patrick Beverley is poised to join the Chicago Bulls. He's come out and publicly told the NBA he is headed home.

And what might come as a shock, he chose the Bulls over the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

"It was between Golden State and the Bulls," Beverley said on his podcast. "And I mean, the Bulls have been after me for the last couple years. I f**k with Billy Donovan. I really do. I like his structure, I like how he goes about both things. So I couldn't kind of say no to that.

"Obviously, it's always good to play with a lot of great talent in Golden State. But it's a lot a lot of guards over there, you know? So I figured I can make a playoff push with the Bulls right now and kind of pop them up a little bit. The East kind of weak. You feel me? You know, not to disrespect anybody in the East, but a lot of people went to the West."

Passing up a chance to join the defending champions in favor of a team that owns the seventh-worst record in the NBA is a bold choice. It might cost Beverley a chance at a ring, though the Warriors currently sit in ninth and in the play-in tournament slots.

The Bulls though are 11th in the East, just outside the play-in spots.

"I talked to (Warriors general manager) Mike Dunleavy there. I was supposed to talk to Steve Kerr today," Beverley said. "Guys wanted to wait till after the All-Star to do everything. But they kept it real with me. Like, we don't want you to wait, Pat, if it's an opportunity you want to take. We know it's a lot of teams after you.

"I felt like Bulls were the best fit. I appreciate Golden State. I appreciate the opportunity that was there."

But Beverley is a Chicago native and this is a homecoming.

"I get to take my son and my baby girl to school. I get to pick them up," Beverley said. "I get to rep my city on my chest proudly.

"If you think I went hard for other teams, just imagine how I'm gonna go hard for this one."

The Bulls need a spark and have struggled with their identity with Lonzo Ball's extended absence due to injury.

He could provide the defense the Bulls are missing, while also pushing the pace. He won't takeaway scoring opportunities from the team's stars Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević.

He's also very vocal and tries to get in the defense's head, which could give the Bulls a edge they seemingly lack.

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